Dan Evans wants to win an Olympic medal for Andy Murray to give the Scot a memorable send-off.
Murray is playing the final tournament of his career in Paris and, having withdrawn from the singles, all his hopes now rest on a men’s doubles campaign alongside Evans.
On his central role in one of the key stories of the Games, Evans said: “It’s cool but there’s nothing more I want than to get a medal for him, and for myself obviously.”
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Novak Djokovic wished Andy Murray the best possible farewell ahead of his last singles tournament and reveals how long he feels he has remaining in tennis
Evans is playing singles as well but is focusing mostly on doubles having had limited training time since suffering a knee injury at Queen’s Club last month.
The pair, who begin their campaign on Sunday against Japanese duo Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori, will not be among the favourites to win a medal but both have had success in doubles before and have played starring roles for their country in Davis Cup.
“We both agreed at the start of the week that we’re going to prioritise doubles,” said Evans. “It’s just how it’s worked out with my knee at Queen’s, I had to take some time after Wimbledon. We’ve put all of our efforts into that, all of our practice into that.
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Watch an extended interview with Andy Murray as he prepares for his final ever tennis tournament. He explains his decision to retire, what he will do next and why the Olympics was the perfect place to say farewell
“Obviously I’ve still played some singles but we’ve been focused on that and we’ve been doing some good work. I can’t see any reason why we don’t have a good chance to do something special.
“Knowing Andy as I do, he’s as competitive as ever, he’s working as hard as ever. He was out there doing sprints at the end of our session and not for one second is he here (just) to say goodbye. He’s here to win a medal and then he’ll do his own goodbye, hopefully on the podium.”
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Murray ‘one of the leading lights ever for Team GB’
Evans watched from afar as Murray wrote himself into Olympic history by becoming the first player to win two singles gold medals, in London and Rio.
The Scot carried the British flag at the opening ceremony in 2016, and Evans added: “There’s not many words you can say about how big an impact he’s had on British tennis, but not just British tennis, British sport. I would say he’s one of the leading lights ever to have worn Team GB kit.”
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Team GB Chef de Mission Mark England pays tribute to Andy Murray’s Olympic legacy with the two-time gold medallist announcing that this summer’s games in Paris will be his last tournament
Evans is also a veteran at 34 but this will be his Olympic debut after he chose to skip the Games in 2016 and then was forced out of Tokyo after contracting Covid.
He is enjoying the experience, although he admitted that sharing a flat with Murray and the rest of the British men’s tennis team has its ups and downs.
“It’s been really good,” he said. “It’s been very different to what we’re used to in a really positive way. Roland Garros looks very different, village life is different to what we’re used to and it’s a unique experience.
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Andy Murray’s Olympic room mate and fellow Brit Cameron Norrie, was not surprised that it would be Andy’s last tournament as he knows how much the Olympics means to him
“Living with them lot is not easy. Apart from Jack (Draper), I guess we’ve all been on tour quite long, so we all get on pretty well. It’s the first time I’ve lived with these guys so it’s different, that’s for sure. But it’s pretty cool that you go down in the morning to see all the other athletes getting their coffee and speak to them, see what their day’s like.”
How to follow the Olympics on Sky
Keep up to date with the action from the Paris 2024 Olympics across Sky Sports’ digital platforms and Sky Sports News every day between now and Sunday August 11.
Alongside live news blogs and updates as records are broken and medals won on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app, Sky Sports News will also have dedicated reporters on the scene in Paris during the Games to gather the latest news both inside and outside the arenas in France as well as reaction to the big moments from medal winners, coaches, relatives and pundits.
Launching this August, Sky Sports+ will be integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app – giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Stream The new EFL season, Test cricket and more top sport with NOW.
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